The Dissident | Deschutes Brewery

0 characters.
We love reviews! Turn your rating into one with ≥ 150 characters. Awesome. Thanks for the review!

In English, explain why you're giving this rating. Your review must discuss the beer's attributes (look, smell, taste, feel) and your overall impression in order to indicate that you have legitimately tried the beer. Nonconstructive reviews may be removed without notice and action may be taken on your account.

Reviews by maz:

More User Reviews:

22oz, red wax sealed bottle, 2014 Reserve edition, coming in at 10.7% ABV. Not going to bother with the 'Best After' suggestion on this one.

This beer pours a slightly hazy, medium bright orange-brick amber hue, with one finger of soapy and bubbly ecru head, which leaves a wash of melting iceberg lace around the glass as things gently subside.

The carbonation is pretty low-key, just a plainly supportive frothiness abounding, the body a decent medium weight, and more or less smooth, these particular acids not in the mood to meddle, apparently. It finishes well off-dry, the sturdy base malt buoyed by the complex sweet and sour fresh and barrel-borne fruitiness.

A rather pleasant and engaging wood-treated version of the style - it's not going to challenge Rodenbach or the Duchesse, but instead sit amicably right next to them in the limited pantheon of sour Flemish ales available around here. Fruity, certainly, and yet balanced, especially when it comes to addressing that elephant kicking back in the middle of the room (no, I'm not seeing things) - yeah, the 21+ proof booze is really hard to come by, it would seem.

The only reason I don't rate the beer higher is because I am not that familiar with the style, but I like this beer a lot. The first time I drank it, it was just a sample, at the Bitter Creek Ale House in Boise, and I could barely finish it. But weeks later, for some reason, I wanted more. That was years ago. This is round 2.

Bought from an end cap at the Boise Consumer Coop, poured into a simple pint glass. A product of 2017.

The beer is not brown, like a Newcastle's, but it is more like tawny. You must pour vigorously to get a head on it, and then it is about one-half an inch. That collapses quickly, leaving a persistent skim of tiny bubbles.

The smell reminds me of rotten apples, like when you step in them at the orchard, and you think you have stepped in dog poop, but realize you haven't, because of the sweetness and fruitiness. Awesome characteristics for a beer! It takes me back to when I would stay with my father in the summers in Indiana, and my job was to mow the fields on a riding lawnmower, and there were apple trees in one part, and I would have to cruise through there, and rotting apples would be ejected from the mower, and all these bees would get upset because they were feeding on the fetid pulp and I was intruding on all their fun. Funny how smells can take you back to your childhood.

The taste: It has warmed a bit now, maximum flavor, it's not really vinegary, but certainly tart, and a smokey dried fruit comes in, like prunes, and almost a burnt rubber, not quite though, because of the fruitiness. This teeters on the edge of being bad, but that is what is so cool about it. It is definitely an acquired taste. There are definitely overtones of tannins, and my mouth puckers anew with each small sip, I want it to last. A bit of dried banana? I do not taste the alcohol.

The feel is almost syrupy, sticky, which is wonderful, it keeps the taste going long after the swallow. I do feel the alcohol in my tummy, though.

Two fingers left, there is the faintest of lacing, and very tiny bubbles around the edge, and a diaphanous nebula of something in the middle. And it smells now a bit of Grampa's medicine chest from the 50s (More nostalgia! Odors are incredible that way). There are cherries in this? They have been boiled down to something intense, this ain't no cherry lambic!

I have been playing around with this beer for more than an hour now, and it has to end sometime. I actually feel that I am a different person for having drunk this beer. It is not just a beer. it is a shining example of what folks can do with yeast and bacteria and malt and water. I am assuming hops too. This brew is like a god, and I am a mere mortal, sampling a godly nectar.

At first, I wasnt really impressed. It started flat and bland, but as is true with really good American sours, it opened up. What was once this bland malt forward slightly sweet beer opened up into a tart cherry beauty. The sweet malt flavors were balanced out by a hint of lactobacillus acidity and tart cherries. Also, a kiss of the wine barrel comes in to add a touch of depth.

That nose of oak, caramel, and acidity really doesnt lead you on. That tartness acts as a balancing act, making the sweet malt seem required.

Its not the low pH beer you get from many brewers, its clearly meant for subtlety and elegance. The tart cherry pie notes and sweet malt make you think cherry pie in the best way possible. Theres no strong bourbon or other barrel flavors, its just a well structured wine barrel beer.

2008 Reserve. Scintillating scarlet with topaz colored accents when backlit with sunshine. The firmly creamy golden beige crown was three fingers to start, looks wonderful, and is in the process of laying down a more than respectable array of sudsy lace.

The nose smells exactly like a well-crafted Flanders oud bruin brewed with Brettanomyces should smell. The wild yeast doesn't overpower the base beer and the Washington State cherries manage to have their say as well. This could be yet another world-class ale from Deschutes.

The Dissident was worth the wait. I'm not sure how it tasted fresh, but it's fandamntastic after sleeping in the cellar for the past 24 months. It will probably last at least that long from this point forward, if not longer. Not this bomber, though. This bomber is about to meet its fate in glorious fashion.

The acidity is not off the charts, which is always a boon to drinkability. There are some malt sugars running interference that add an underlying sweetness that one does not often experience in beer of this style. Tangy-tart-sour is still in the lead, as it should be.

This special release tastes more red than bruin (brown). That's probably because of the cherries and the fact that is was aged in Pinot Noir and Cabernet barrels. That intense vinousness and fruitiness is what puts it over the top for me. It's incredibly satisfying when great beer on paper turns into great beer in the glass. Brown bread and cherry preserves and red wine and farmhouse funk... oh my!

Warming allows what was meshing in the first few ounces to mesh even more seamlessly during the rest of the bottle. This offering is so complex that it's difficult to focus on just one aspect in any given mouthful. Best to just let it bathe the taste buds and revel in the result.

The mouthfeel isn't even close to letting down the rest of the beer. It's at least medium-full for the style and is much more lush and creamy than most. By the way, alcohol is buried without a trace.

Even though I had the foresight to buy several bottles of The Dissident back in '08, I was stupid enough to trade away all but this bottle. If I'm lucky enough to have access to the second release (scheduled for next month), that mistake will not be repeated. Bottom line: one of the best of 2010.

This beer is absolutely beautiful. It's clear deep amber to slightly reddish hued color is hypnotizing. It has a small white head that compliments it perfectly by disappearing into its depths, keeping you focused on it's brilliant appearance.

The smell bursts upon the pop and fizz of the cap, intoxicating the surroundings with intense sour vinegar and sweet dark cherries.

The flavor was not at all what I was expecting. A slight hint of vinegar is quickly overcome with dark cherry, molasses, and oak.

The feel is so unique. A tad under cough syrup with a touch of prickly spice, smooth, mild carbonation, sweet and tart, but none of those attributes are overwhelming.

Overall, few beers are worth such a long wait, as this beer has eluded me since its first release. An absolutely phenomenal beer that I would gladly pay the nominal fee again and again for such a treat. I think I'm in love. Cheers!

T: The taste is not as complex nor as interesting as the smell would have you to believe. It's actually quite sweet with prominent malty flavors of caramel coupled with pleasant tart fruit aromas (cherries and grapes). Complementary, somewhat clean, brett aromas and notes of mud, oak, grass and vanilla. Hints of yeast. The finish has a mild bitterness to it, brett, sweetish alcohol and dry cherry notes. I think it would have benefited from less alcohol flavors.

M: Medium, almost full body, and medium carbonation which is not how I want a Flanders Oud bruin to be - I prefer them with more carbonation. It's actually almost smooth and sticky.

D: A fairly good attempt at a style that seems hard to master outside of the boarders of Belgium. It's slightly too heavy and big to be really good. The additions from the cherries are really nice though.

In the interest of full disclosure, I was pretty bombed when I cracked this bomber...solo.
I'm not a huge sour-style fan but I grabbed two of these upon release and tossed them away...until last night.
Smelled like bottled Cherry Clan's...if you remember what those are.
Poured a nice golden hue into a tulip glass...minimal head.
Each sip got better and better...but it could also be my buzz that got better and better (its 11+%) and was super enjoyable.
As I said, I'm not big into this style but if this was the benchmark, I'd be into it all day.
A very enjoyable beer, even if its a month before its "best after" date.

Sour beer is the future--or at least that is what the brewers and beer geeks have been telling us over the past year or so. Deschutes has thrown their hat in the ring.

Pours out a semi-thin, latte-like froth and dissipates to a thin lacing with some good retention. Clear, tarnished-brass red color, certainly lighter in color compared to other Oud Bruins. Massive and extremely expressive aroma of peppercorn, evergreen sap, anise, lemon peel, tart cherries, vanilla beans and fresh peaches. Very smooth with a fluffy creaminess on the palate. A healthy smack of tartness on the palate ends up being very rounded rather than being a flash in the pan as it feigns tart cherry and lemon zest flavors from start almost to finish. Spice flavors are light but still a little chaotic with minty, peppery and medicinal notes from the yeast and alcohol. Speaking of alcohol, the 9 percent is very deceiving, with only a warmth in the chest as the tartness seems to numb the palate and throat for the first several sips. Small, dry kernel of maltiness in the drying, faded spicy finish.

An epic beer for the sour beer lover, between the level of sourness and light yeast funk, this beer has found a perfect balance. Way too drinkable for its size: Sip and savor with care. A bottle full of beer geek joy.

Pours clear, reddish-brown in color with 1/3 inch head. Smells like fresh fruit. Taste is amazing: cherry--dark and sweet, cedar, and sour mix. Light bodied, airy, moderate carbonation, and slightly sour. Super smooth. A Flander Oud Bruin has no business being this smooth. This beer just jumps out with flavors. One of the best examples of a style that I like. Well worth seeking out--super tasty.

Pours brown with an off-white head. The aroma is a mix of vinegar and very tart cherries. Definitely a very good aroma. The flavor is also heavy on the cherries with some funk as well. It is definitely a sour beer, but not as sour as the aroma led me to believe it would be. You also get some oak and vanilla in the flavor. Medium to high carbonation and very drinkable.